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Modified Invasion
Saturday 30th March 2013
‘Modified Invasion’ + Ramp Race Derby – Good Friday & Easter Saturday – First Race 6pm!
Christchurch Glass and AmPro Tools Woodford Glen Speedway present the 2013 Modified Invasion. Over 20 drivers from all over New Zealand are expected at this year’s ‘Modified Invasion’. Heading the entry list to date is Auckland’s Jamie Fox who is keen for some track time at the Glen in preparation for the New Zealand Modified Champs to be held here in January 2014. Fox is keen to repay the effort shown from Woodford Glen drivers who have attended the ‘Modified Dirt Cup’ at his home track over the past few seasons. Drivers such as Luke Keegan, David Thompson, Mike Gourley and Glen Leech to name a few have all made the trek North in the past and with great success. Keegan in particular won the Dirt Cup two years in a row and was going for a third win this year, however home town hero Jamie Fox had other ideas leaving Keegan to settle for second place this time round. Will Keegan get the upper hand at his home track? Or will local up and coming rookie driver (and South Island Champ), Hayden McKay be the dark horse and leave these two in his dust?
Wellington’s Te Marua Speedway hosted round one of this year’s invasion and a strong contingent of drivers from the capital city are all keen to show their stuff here at the Glen. Michael Burt had a strong showing at round one and currently sits in third place overall behind Woodford Glen’s David Thompson in second whilst Luke Keegan sits atop the podium at this stage. Ex Super Saloon star and Modified convert Paul Hodson also of Wellington is set to make his return to the Glen but as mentioned earlier will this time be behind the wheel of his immaculately presented 4W Modified. Hodson will no doubt be keen to impress.
Greymouth will also be well represented at this year’s invasion with the late inclusion of Brandon Parkinson who made his season debut on Saturday night here at the Glen. Not an ideal build up to such a high calibre meeting but Parkinson knows his way around the Glen. He will also have track mates and regular Glen visitors Iain Whyte and Steve Thomson helping carry the Greenstone Park Speedway flag.
The format for night one of the Invasion will have the drivers split in to three groups. Each group will race each other once over four, 12 lap heats. After all four heats have been raced the top eight highest point’s scorers will qualify through to the 20 lap, 16 car feature. The remaining drivers will all get one more chance to make the feature via the ‘B-Main’ race. The first 8 cars to pass over the finish line after 12 laps will qualify through to the feature and fill grids 9 – 16 with the winner starting from grid 9 whilst the second placed driver will start from grid 10 and so on down to grid 16. Further to the ‘B-Main’ the top 8 drivers will race in the ‘Semi-Main Dash’ over 8 laps, which like the ‘B-Main’ will decide grid positions for the feature, but this time grids 1 – 8. The winner of the ‘Semi-Main Dash’ will get the choice to start the feature from either grid 1 or 2. Tonight’s feature winner will be the first driver to cross the finish line after 20 laps.
Saturday nights first Modified race will be a heat race over 10 laps for those drivers positioned in 17th place overall on points downwards. The winner of this heat race will start from pole position in the all important last chance ‘B-Main’ race with the second placed driver starting from grid two and so on down. The ‘B-Main’ race is the last chance this group of drivers has to qualify for the 20 car, 25 lap feature at the end of the night. Only three drivers from the ‘B-Main’ will transfer to the feature. Those drivers will be the first three cars to pass the finish line after 10 laps and will fill grid positions 17-19 for the feature. ‘The final and last position for Saturday nights feature, (Grid 20) will be a ‘Wild Card’
The top 16 points scorers overall (including points scored at the Wellington round) will race one further heat (Semi-Main) over 15 laps. Grid positions for the ‘Semi-Main’ will see the driver with the highest overall points start from pole position and so on down. The first eight drivers to pass the finish line after 15 laps will qualify through to the 8 car pole shuffle (to decide grids 1-8) whilst the remaining eight drivers will qualify directly to the 25 lap final filling grid positions 9 – 16. Grid 9 will be filled by the driver in 9th overall points, grid 10 by the driver in 10th place overall and so on down.
As mentioned above the very exciting ‘Pole Shuffle’ will decide the first eight grid positions for the 25 lap final. The ‘Pole Shuffle’ will be raced over two laps with the two drivers who finished 7th & 8th in the ‘Semi-Main’ first up. The winner will face the next challenge from the 6th placed driver and so on up. The challenger has lane choice with the overall winner of the ‘Pole Shuffle’ having lane choice for the 25 lap final.
An updated entry list will be posted over the weekend. For fans who love the sight and sound of the might ‘Winged Warriors’, this is a show not to be missed! To finish the season off will be the ever popular ‘Ramp Race Derby’. Remember the earlier start time of 6pm!
